Arizona’s energy grid needs investment
Arizona is one of the sunniest states in the country and has been the focus of energy infrastructure investment because of that fact. However, with the states drastically increasing population, there is worry among Arizonans whether our existing energy grid can handle the upcoming stress of the summer months as people begin relying heavily on their A/C units to cool their homes.
We know that we do not want our lives interrupted or people hurt because the grid might fail under the stress of the increased energy demands. In order to avoid this, our elected leaders and community members must recognize the need for continued investment into the infrastructure of our energy grid. This calls for unified work between energy companies and community organizations that both work at times against each other.
We need to focus on these investments in order to protect Arizona families, small businesses and ensure that our state economy can continue to grow and flourish for all that call the Grand Canyon state home.
Kimberly Cueva
South Tucson
Help save the Star
Re: the Nov 28 article “Tucsonans may need to imagine life without Star.”
I read this column on Sunday. Tuesday I read the first response wave (four letters!). Then I saw a story in The Washington Post Magazine about how 2,200 local papers have closed since 2005, with the resulting growth of “news deserts” where local news just isn’t reported.
Tucson lost one venerable (and respected) paper when The Citizen ceased printing in 2009 and closed its website in 2014. We cannot afford to lose the Star!
I hope Lee Enterprises will be able to fend off Alden Global Capital. In the meantime, perhaps the Star and its readers could collaborate on possible alternatives, should Alden take over at Lee. Can the Star become a nonprofit? Can it crowdfund a buyout? Would local leaders (private and public) be willing/able to form an umbrella company?
The Star provides an irreplaceable service to Tucson. It must not die!
Dave Peterson
Midtown
Public health overrides personal liberty
Think for a moment about the laws against drinking while driving. One doesn’t have the option to say, ”I know my own limits, I’ll decide if I drink while driving.” Sorry, you can’t do that. Why? Because, public safety overrides personal liberty. There are many other examples: your child needs MMR to go to school, you can’t yell “Fire....”, etc.
That is why we need to mandate vaccination vs. COVID. Public health prevails over individual liberty. This should not be a political issue.
James Torrey
West side
Outstanding citizen
Re: the Nov. 28 article “The limits of self-policing.”
Kudos to the bystander who calmly, impartially and effectively helped deescalate a recent altercation involving an off-duty police officer in a restaurant parking lot. It is evident from the video circulating in the media that his brave action was significant in preventing a more devastating outcome for all parties involved.
Robin Gwozdz
Northeast side
Masks and distancing reboot
It has come to pass, just as we were told. The COVID virus, allowed to spread, has mutated to a more troublesome enemy.
Portugal and its citizens, however, are to be admired. The government appointed a vice-admiral of the armed forces, in his combat uniform, to lead the public health effort. He told NPR that when he first appeared on TV he said “we are at war, and this is a war against the virus. So in what side you want to be — with the virus ‘cause you are crazy and you are helping the virus to spread, or you are in our side, the community, to protect ourselves?” The citizens heard the battle cry and now 87% of the country has been vaccinated. People wear masks. Tomorrow more restrictions are going into effect due to the appearance of omicron. The vice-admiral is considered a national hero.
If only all the citizens of the world were on board to save the human race.
Cindy Soffrin
Northeast side
Possible sale of the Star
Re: the Nov 28 article “Tucsonans may need to imagine life without Star.”
I read with concern that Alden Global Capital has expressed interest in buying Lee Enterprises. I am a firm believer that communities need an independent news source.
I spent 30 years of my professional career in Salt Lake City before moving to Tucson 2007. The Salt Lake Tribune faced a similar prospect several years ago. Then a community angel, Paul Huntsman, bought the Tribune. He subsequently converted it into a nonprofit enterprise — a successful experiment. A recent article outlined the paper’s plans for 2022: expanding the newsroom and other additions. I believe the Salt Lake Tribune is the only major newspaper that has tried this model. It has some restrictions such as being unable to endorse political candidates.
Hopefully Lee Enterprises can resist Alden’s plans. The probable downsizing of the Star would be a significant loss for Tucson. It is always good to have a plan B. I hope that the Star will explore alternative models to deliver the news and the nonprofit model may be a possibility.
Neil Kochenour
Southeast side
Off-duty officer incident at local restaurant
Re: the Nov. 28 article “The limits of self-policing.”
To serve and protect? The incident that involved an off-duty officer and three females leaving their morning brunch was disturbing. Is there some law that states you are not allowed to walk slow to your parked car? As a past Regional Investigator my training always emphasized the importance of using good judgment. Whoever provoked the incident that escalated into two women laying on the payment with a large off-duty police officer on top with his knee in the woman’s neck was not good judgment. The police department should not need to review anything. This officer should have been terminated immediately. Took me back to the George Floyd incident. I have grown up in Tucson and remember the days when police helped people and some still do, but an officer losing himself in such a stupid incident gives the whole department a bad name. Bad judgment over something that was not worth confronting.
Joni Chandler
Midtown
The Loop
Re: the Nov. 30 letter “The Loop.”
I agree with the Letter writer, but feel there are factors which exacerbate the problem. First is the failure of most cyclists to warn walkers of their approach. Second are the signs telling pedestrians to walk on the far right-hand side of the trail, with the flow of bicycle traffic. Apparently, this is a “national standard” for trails throughout the country, but it defies common sense.
Pedestrians on roadways are supposed to walk facing traffic, enabling them to see approaching cars well in advance. I have walked the Loop the way the signs direct, and also the way I would on a roadway, and feel much safer doing the latter, because it gives me plenty of time to step out of the way. I will continue to do this until directed otherwise by an officer of the law. And if that ever happens, that will be my last walk on the Loop.
Ken Shearer
Northeast side
Local news
Re: the Nov 28 article “Tucsonans may need to imagine life without Star.”
With the many letters concerning the possible sale of the Star, no one has mentioned TucsonSentinel.com, a nonprofit, online only newspaper with real reporters reporting local news. It is a member of a national organization of online-only local news “papers.” Check it out, it’s free. However, this subscriber will keep subscribing to a paper she can touch, as long as it exists.
Holly Finstrom
West side
Local papers a must for democracy
Re: the Nov 28 article “Tucsonans may need to imagine life without Star.”
It is not only difficult to imagine life in Tucson without the Arizona Daily Star, as Curt Prendergast warned us was a possibility on Sunday, but it would threaten the civic life of our city and endanger our ability to hold our elected leaders and local businesses publicly accountable. The fact that local papers all across the country are under a similar threat is why we need measures such as the Local Journalism Sustainability Act (H.R. 3940 and S. 2434), introduced earlier this year by U.S. Rep. Ann Kirkpatrick of Arizona, which would provide tax credits to help locally based print and digital publications stay strong and independent.
Greg Evans
West side
